RACING to catch her flight at Rarotonga airport Thursday afternoon, beauty queen Lydia Simonis Tariu just had time to peck a couple of aunties on the cheek in a hasty “goodbye”, pick up her carry-on bag and snap a quick “head shot” for media before boarding her flight to Sydney.

A minor disagreement saved Shane Fredericks’ girlfriend from being involved in a nautical disaster, following his recent police rescue from doomed yacht Zangano, in rough seas 390 nautical miles from Rarotonga.

The boat has sailed, but retired Victorian policeman and Rarotongan local Rod Henderson is demanding answers about the disappearance of a woman that went missing from the yacht Zangano over 12 months ago, and is now presumed dead.

Following pressure on Tiare Taporo owners Pacific Schooners Ltd, to prove the previously immobile vessel was able to leave the port under its own power in the event of an emergency, the company is now under another court deadline to meet a creditors’ compromise.